Tying fine lines to fish hooks presents may problems. The use of such lines makes knot tying difficult even under good conditions. With wet and/or cold hands, the problem is greatly magnified. Because of the popularity of fishing, much interest has been directed towards finding ways of simplifying the attachment of lines to fish hooks.
One of the earliest patents teaching a simplified method of attaching a line to a fish hook was issued to Hiltz, U.S. Pat. No. 86,154, in 1869. Hiltz discloses a fish hook with a hole and a slot which communicate with each other. For use with this hook, a preformed knot, which is substantially larger than the width of the slot, is slipped through the hole; and the line is pulled into the slot, so that the knot extends outwardly from one side and the line from the other side.
Subsequently, Adams and later Fry improved upon Hiltz' combination. Adams, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,092,796 issued in 1978, discloses a fish hook with an open-ended slot for receiving a line with a preformed knot. Fry, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,535,562 issued in 1985, teaches a fish hook having a large, open-ended slot which communicates with a narrower slot.
Another invention which is an integral part of a fish hook or lure and is designed to facilitate knot tying is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,848,345, issued to Austad et al. in 1974. Their quick tie device comprises a double loop in which two loops are disposed generally perpendicularly to and proximate with each other. With these loops, a user can attach a line to the hook or lure by wrapping the line first about one loop and then about the other.
Similarly, Manno, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,905,403 issued in 1990, discloses a hook with double loops arranged side-by-side but with open portions of these loops facing in opposite directions. A fish line can be attached to this hook by doubling the line back upon itself and passing the closed end of the line over the loop closest to the hook so as to hold this closed end in place. The remainder of the line that is doubled back on itself is then wrapped repeatedly about a portion of the hook disposed between the double loops before being pulled through the other open-ended loop, thereby completing the attachment of the line to the hook.
Accessories have also been employed to facilitate tying lines to fish hooks, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,675,276 issued to Nuse in 1972 and in U.S. Pat. No. 3,913,185 issued to James in 1975. Nuse's device is a flat sheet member interposed between the primary fish line and a leader for the hook. The leader for the hook is, however, tied with a conventional knot. James' accessory is a clip which can be threaded through the eye of a fish hook; but once the eye is so threaded, the line is slipped through an opening in the clip and tied--again in a conventional manner.